After breaking up with Shen Yu, Wen Xi had lived a life of simple desires for ten years.
For ten years, her heart had been like a pool of stagnant water, too stagnant to move. But in the month since reuniting with Shen Yu, it felt as if long-awaited rain had fallen on parched land; the stagnant water had transformed into a rushing river.
She hid in a corner, secretly feeling the rhythm of her heartbeat.
Her heart was racing.
Her face felt scalding hot too, though she wore light makeup, so it probably wasn’t obvious. She just didn’t know how red her ears and neck had become.
She buried her head for a moment to compose herself, but didn’t dare linger too long, fearing others might think she was unwell and call an ambulance the next second.
Pu Tao bumped Wen Xi’s arm with a bottle of water and sat down beside her.
The water was room temperature. Wen Xi unscrewed the cap and took a few sips. “How are you back so soon? Is the discussion finished?”
“Not yet,” Pu Tao shook her head. “You took quite a lot of shots. The magazine can’t use all of them, but they’re all so good that the people at Daoying really like them. They haven’t reached a consensus yet, so they told me to come rest first and let me know when they’ve decided.”
Wen Xi nodded. “If I had known, I would have taken fewer.”
Pu Tao suddenly gasped.
Wen Xi glanced at her. “What’s wrong?”
Pu Tao spoke truthfully, “Boss, that sentence was a bit of a humblebrag.”
Wen Xi was silent for two seconds before laughing helplessly. “I’m just telling the truth. Does that count as bragging?”
Pu Tao nodded. “Yes, even that sentence was a brag.”
Wen Xi asked humbly, “Then what doesn’t count as bragging?”
“You could say, ‘It’s understandable that it’s hard to choose’, ” Pu Tao couldn’t finish her sentence before bursting into laughter. “Okay, fine, I’m bragging too.”
Wen Xi smiled and stopped talking, but after joking with Pu Tao, the heat in her face finally subsided. She took out her phone; it was already 11:30 AM.
Pu Tao leaned toward her. “I feel like you’re acting a bit strange.”
“I feel it too. My state of mind hasn’t been right lately,” Wen Xi pursed her lips. “Weren’t you curious about my relationship with Shen Yu?”
“Eh?” Pu Tao blinked. “I never said that, did I?”
“You didn’t say it, but the words were written in your eyes.” Wen Xi met Pu Tao’s gaze. “Just like right now.”
Pu Tao smiled sheepishly. “Oh, come on, it’s not that exaggerated!”
“…After this business trip is over, I’ll tell you,” Wen Xi said, glancing toward Shen Yu’s dressing room.
She felt that now, she could try to confide in someone else. Before, she hadn’t wanted to speak because she felt it was pointless, it would only leave her with lingering sadness.
Now, she was counting down the five-month deadline, wanting to make up for the rushed nature of their breakup ten years ago and bid Shen Yu a proper farewell.
It was funny, in a way. Here she was, counting down the days until they parted, while over there, Shen Yu was doing everything possible to reconcile.
“Great!” Pu Tao smiled. “I’m all ears!”
They hadn’t been sitting in the corner for long when someone on set called out for everyone to get lunch.
Time was tight, and the next set needed to be arranged. No one had time to go out for a meal, so they had collectively ordered from a private kitchen.
Wen Xi heard a staff member calling her over. Just as she was about to get up, she heard someone else calling her.
“Teacher T, Teacher Shen Yu would like you to come over for a moment.” It was Yu Yan. She looked at Pu Tao and continued, “This is Miss Pu, right? I’m Shen Yu’s assistant, Yu Yan. We’ve chatted online a bit. Would you like to come along?”
Pu Tao looked at Yu Yan, then at Wen Xi, and shook her head. “I’ll pass. I’m actually quite hungry, so I won’t disturb Teacher Shen Yu.”
“Alright.” Yu Yan nodded with a smile. “Then, Teacher T?”
Wen Xi spoke, “Let’s go.”
Shen Yu’s dressing room wasn’t far, only a few steps away. Once Yu Yan delivered her, she didn’t linger, closing the door behind her to create a private space for the two of them.
Shen Yu had already removed her makeup and changed into casual clothes, wearing an outfit very similar to Wen Xi’s.
She was sitting in a lounge chair with her legs crossed. A small table was set up in front of her, covered with takeout containers. Seeing Wen Xi arrive, she pointed to the empty chair opposite her. “Sit. Daoying ordered the specialty dishes from here, mostly health-focused. You probably won’t like them, so I’m secretly giving you some special treatment.”
Wen Xi looked at the dishes laid out and silently sat across from Shen Yu. A bowl and chopsticks were already set out for her.
“Earlier… were you really okay?” Wen Xi was still a bit worried. It wasn’t that she had never worn high heels; slipping in them was the easiest way to sprain an ankle.
“Why don’t you come and see for yourself?” Shen Yu didn’t even look up, focusing on placing food into Wen Xi’s bowl.
“Forget it, that’s enough food… I can get it myself.” Wen Xi watched her bowl pile up until it was almost overflowing and reached out to block her.
She actually really wanted to ask Shen Yu if that kiss grazing her earlobe earlier had been intentional. Ultimately, she didn’t ask, because whether it was intentional or not, Shen Yu’s desire to reconcile was real.
“Then you eat first. I don’t know if your appetite has changed, but I ordered everything you used to love,” Shen Yu said, finally putting down the serving chopsticks.
Wen Xi chewed her food and shook her head. “It hasn’t changed. I still like what I used to like.”
Shen Yu froze for a moment. She looked up at Wen Xi, appearing as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
After a few seconds, Wen Xi realized what she had implied. She quickly buried her head in her food, her earlobes turning a deep shade of crimson.
Shen Yu couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle. She was still as prone to shyness as she used to be.
Shen Yu had ordered many dishes, but the portions were small, so the two of them managed to finish. Wen Xi stood up to clear the containers, but Shen Yu stopped her. “You sit and rest. I’ll do it.”
Wen Xi watched as Shen Yu quickly packed the boxes into a large plastic bag. Shen Yu pulled out a wet wipe to clean her hands and sat back down across from Wen Xi.
Wen Xi heard Shen Yu speak, “The editor-in-chief of Daoying has been praising you to me these past few days. She said your aesthetic is wonderful and that you’ve offered so many great suggestions. She really regrets not working with you sooner.”
“Shooting for magazines is too tiring, so for the past few years, I’ve told the public I don’t take magazine gigs, only making occasional exceptions,” Wen Xi said.
Shen Yu nodded slowly. “So this time was also an exception?”
Was there really a need to ask? She was asking despite already knowing the answer.
Wen Xi looked at Shen Yu expressionlessly.
Shen Yu smiled. “My bad, I’m talking too much.”
Outside, Pu Tao watched Yu Yan lead Wen Xi inside. Not long after, Yu Yan came out alone, but Wen Xi was nowhere to be seen.
With trembling hands, she pulled out her phone.
Tao Tao Tao: Boss, if you’ve been kidnapped, just type ‘1’.
T.T: ?
T.T: Teacher Shen Yu is giving me some special treatment for lunch. Go ahead and eat first, I’ll be out in a bit.
Seeing this message, Pu Tao’s hands stopped trembling. She only felt that this June or July wind had suddenly become very cold.
The afternoon shoot was for “Wanton Growth,” primarily themed around vitality.
The set was almost a perfect recreation of a forest corner, with layers of greenery paired with vibrant, blooming flowers. To the side stood a swing made of vines; one look was enough to feel a sense of burgeoning life.
Because of the added bonus of the chemistry between Wen Xi and Shen Yu, this shoot also went very smoothly.
This time, Shen Yu wore a gauze tassel dress. The dress wasn’t long, and her fair, slender legs were faintly visible through the tassels. The dress also had a waist-cinching effect. Once the shoot was over, Wen Xi stopped looking at her.
By the time Shen Yu changed back into her private clothes, it was already after 5:00 PM.
Shen Yu found a person in charge on set and asked, “Is that it for today?”
The person in charge nodded. “Pretty much. Teacher Shen Yu can go back to the hotel to rest. Tomorrow’s shoot is at a suburban wilderness park, so we need an early start. You and Teacher Twilight’s team are in the same hotel. We’ll be waiting for you in the lobby tomorrow morning at 7:30.”
Shen Yu nodded understandingly. “Then, is Twilight still busy?”
“Actually, we’re almost done,” the person in charge smiled sheepishly. “A few of our photographers here are fans of Twilight and are ‘seeking advice’ from her.”
Wen Xi’s reputation didn’t rely solely on photographing celebrities. She had majored in photography in university and had produced other works during those three or four years, winning several awards within the department.
Right after graduation, at the urging of a senior, Wen Xi had entered a prestigious industry photography competition and won second prize. The award was mid-tier, but given that Wen Xi was only 22 at the time, winning it was impressive, and her name began to circulate in small circles within the industry.
Later, whenever she had time, Wen Xi would occasionally submit works. There was no deep reason, the prize money for those awards was generous, which was what attracted her. If others knew her thoughts, they might have called her vulgar, but at that time, what Wen Xi needed most was money.
Regardless, she eventually won several awards that made her name famous in the industry. During that period, she received many invitations from studios, studios that didn’t just photograph people but focused on vast landscapes.
But she declined them all. She wanted more freedom, to occasionally photograph the entertainment industry and to hear Shen Yu’s name more often.
Shen Yu was a top-tier star and had worked with many celebrities; many people had some level of interaction with her. Shen Yu herself released very little public information, but Wen Xi could find out about her through other people’s words or social media circles. Even those few celebrities who were on good terms with Wen Xi would ask around for news about Shen Yu once they knew she liked her.
Wen Xi felt a bit like a “sasaeng” fan that everyone in the entertainment industry despised.
When other seniors in the photography world heard her thoughts, they felt sorry for her, but Wen Xi didn’t see it that way. In life, isn’t the point just to find contentment and pleasure?
Therefore, in the hearts of other photographers, Wen Xi wasn’t just a name propped up by the entertainment industry; she had genuine, solid talent.
That was why, as soon as work ended, those photographers dared to approach her sheepishly to ask questions, leading Shen Yu to think Wen Xi still had unfinished business to handle.
Hearing the explanation from the person in charge, Shen Yu nodded in realization. She walked over to Wen Xi’s side and listened to her speak in professional terminology.
When the photographers surrounding Wen Xi saw Shen Yu approaching, they hurriedly greeted her.
Shen Yu gave a slight wave. “Don’t mind me. I have some interest in photography as well, so I’ve come to ‘seek some advice’ from Twilight too.”
Shen Yu emphasized those last three words meaningfully, and Wen Xi felt a slight tingling in her ears.
Shen Yu said it that way, but with such a high-profile figure standing there, the others felt a bit of pressure. It wasn’t long before they all excused themselves.
Once the others had left, Shen Yu said softly, “Teacher Wen Xi has such a good temper. No airs at all, you answer whatever people ask.”
With no outsiders around, she secretly called her by her real name.
Wen Xi said quietly, “If people ask me nicely, it doesn’t hurt me to answer.”
Shen Yu stared at her intently. “Then it seems my attitude isn’t good enough. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have ignored my messages.”
Wen Xi gave a soft sigh, turned, and walked away.